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Dr Janice Lough, co-editor of the book 'Coral Bleaching; Patterns, Processes, Causes and Consequences' (Second Edition).

The latest scientific research into coral bleaching has been bound in a second edition of the book Coral Bleaching; Patterns, Processes, Causes and Consequences.

Coral experts from the Australian Institute of Marine Science Professor Madeleine van Oppen, and Dr Janice Lough edited both this edition and the first edition, which has had nearly 36,000 e-chapter downloads since its publication in 2009.

More than 50 per cent of the cited references in this new edition are from papers which have been published recently.

Dr Lough, who oversees the world’s largest coral core library at AIMS, said there was still a lot to learn about coral bleaching but great strides had been made.

“Unfortunately it doesn’t change the problem but this book synthesises the research and brings together a lot of new knowledge,” Dr Lough said.

“It is a useful resource not just for scientists but also university students.”

Dr van Oppen said the book provided comprehensive information on the causes and consequences of coral bleaching for coral reef ecosystems, from the genes and microbes involved in the bleaching response, to individual coral colonies and whole reef systems.

“It presents detailed analyses of how coral bleaching can be detected and quantified and reviews future scenarios based on modelling efforts and the potential mechanisms of acclimatisation and adaptation,” Dr van Oppen said.

“It also discusses emerging research areas that focus on the development of innovative interventions aiming to increase coral climate resilience and restore reefs.”

Lead chapter authors include AIMS researchers Dr Neal Cantin on Detecting and Monitoring coral Bleaching events and Kate Quigley on Bleaching Resistance and the Role of Algal Endosymbionts.

This 14-chapter volume contains chapters written by international experts covering the many facets of coral bleaching from the geological history of the coral:algal symbiosis through to future projections of bleaching impacts on coral reefs and from the cellular to ecosystem levels.

Coral Bleaching; Patterns, Processes, Causes and Consequences (Second Edition) is published by Springer International Publishing and is available for purchase here